US-A-2006/0260191 describes a vessel in which a hot synthesis gas as generated in an adjacent gasification reactor is cooled by injecting a quenching liquid into a stream of said hot synthesis gas. In particular FIG. 4 of that publication shows a gasification reactor for gasification of a solid carbonaceous feedstock to obtain a synthesis gas mixture having a temperature of between 1200 and 1800° C. The reactor has an outlet for hot synthesis gas at its upper end and an outlet for slag at its lower end. The reactor itself is provided with a quenching means to lower the temperature in a first step to a temperature below the solidification point of the non-gaseous components as present in the synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is further reduced in temperature by injecting a mist of water into the flow of synthesis gas in a separate quenching vessel connected to the gasification reactor by means of a duct. An advantage of the quenching vessel is that the design of such a vessel can be much simpler than a waste heat boiler having multiple heat exchanger banks. A further advantage is that a synthesis gas may be obtained which contains water at a level, which is lower than the saturation content. This makes it possible to obtain a substantially cooled synthesis gas from which ash can be separated using a filter as for example described in EP-B-1178858, or more preferably by using a cyclone.
DE-A-102005004341 describes a spray nozzle manifold comprising a first co-axial passage for supply of an atomisation gas, a second co-axial passage present in said first passage for supply of a liquid. The spray nozzle manifold further has more than one laterally spaced nozzle for atomisation and spraying liquid.
Applicants have found that injecting a quenching medium in a hot synthesis gas containing non-gaseous components, such as ash, is not straightforward. For example, if the spray nozzle manifold of DE-A-102005004341 would have been applied serious fouling of the spray nozzles would have occurred due to the presence of the non-gaseous components as present in the hot synthesis gas. The present invention provides means for injecting a quenching medium, which would not suffer from such fouling.